Many bodily injuries, particularly those which are commonly referred to under the broad designation of contusions, are painful and cause substantial discomfort to the injured person due to the tissue damage and the resulting hemorrhaging of blood beneath the skin, which in turn causes substantial swelling. Swelling causes the injury to be more painful and disabling. It has long been recognized that, if the swelling can be minimized, then the pain and discomfort can be minimized or eliminated. For this purpose, it has been conventional practice to apply ice packs or similar devices to the injured portion of the body as soon as possible after the injury occurs in an attempt to minimize swelling. This technique, however, is conveniently usable only under specific situations and circumstances. For example, ice packs and the like can be conveniently applied only to certain types of injuries, and use of such ice packs normally does not permit application of proper compression on and around the injured area so as to achieve the best possible minimization of swelling. Further, when an ice pack is applied, the injured person has little freedom of movement.
Accordingly, the present invention relates to an improved bandage for use with injuries of the above type. More specifically, this invention relates to an improved compression bandage which can be quickly and easily wrapped around an injured portion of the body, such as a body part which has suffered a contusion, to minimize subsequent swelling of the body in the region of the injury. This improved bandage not only permits application of proper compression on and around the injured body portion, but also permits cooling of the injured body portion due to both refrigeration and evaporation. This improved bandage also adheres to itself so that it can be easily wrapped around the injured body portion and will securely stay in position without requiring other wraps or ties, so that the injured person thus has substantial freedom of movement even after the bandage is applied. At the same time, the bandage achieves substantially total skin contact to maximize the compression and cooling effects.
In addition, the improved bandage is clean and non-toxic, and does not stick or adhere to the skin so that the bandage can be easily unwrapped from the injured body portion without causing discomfort or requiring any cleaning of the skin. The bandage is also packageable in a small and compact form because it can be spirally rolled for storage. It can be stored in a refrigerator to increase the cooling properties thereof when subsequently applied, it can be readily reused, and it is low in cost.
The improved compression bandage of this invention basically comprises an elongated strip of a gel-like material which is self-supporting and self-adhering, which strip preferably has a thickness of approximately 1/4 inch and a width of about 2 inches, with the length of the strip being selected so as to permit the bandage to be wrapped several times around the injured body area, such as around an ankle or wrist. The bandage, when utilized, is wrapped several times around the injured area so that the various convolutions of the bandage overlap and hence adhere to one another so that the bandage will remain in a wrapped condition without requiring additional clips or ties. The gel-like material of the bandage does not adhere or stick to the skin, but it is capable of substantially total surface-to-surface, non-adhering contact with the skin to provide the desired cooling and compressing thereof. The gel-like material permits cooling of the injured body area by evaporation, and the cooling of the injured body area is preferably further assisted by cooling the bandage in a refrigerator prior to application of same to the injured body area.
The gel-like material of the bandage preferably is formed by gelling a polyvinyl alcohol solution formed by using approximately 6 parts or more of polyvinyl alcohol per 100 parts of water. A sheet or strip of thin polyurethane foam is dipped in the polyvinyl alcohol solution, and is thereafter dipped in a reactive gelling agent solution, such as an aqueous borax solution, to form a gel. The polyvinyl alcohol gel also preferably has another ingredient, such as glycerine, incorporated therein so as to make the resulting gel material more pressure-sensitive at lower temperatures, such as at refrigeration temperatures, for example, about 1.degree. to 5.degree. C. The polyurethane foam functions as a central core or carrier for providing the wrap with increased strength and continuity so as thereby to facilitate handling of the bandage and to prevent accidental tearing of the bandage during handling and usage of same.
Other objects and purposes of the invention will be apparent after reading the following specification and inspecting the accompanying drawings.